Porcelain graphic patterns and wood panels

The seductive appeal of wood, the elegant shades of grey, the striking graphic patterns and the carefully designed open space are the distinctive features of this 130 square metre apartment in Alto da Lapa, São Paulo, the property of a lawyer who commissioned Brazilian architect Diego Revollo with the renovation project. When the work was already underway, the client changed his original idea of preserving as many of the existing elements as possible and instead accepted the designer’s suggestions regarding the layout of the spaces and choice of materials with a strong visual impact, although they were still inspired by traditional Brazilian home decoration patterns. „In contemporary interior design the choice of permanent elements is very important as these must stand the test of time without being affected by the vagaries of fashion,“ said the Brazilian architect. With this in mind, he harmoniously combined the best in Brazilian design with European trends, choosing porcelain materials of high aesthetic and technical quality which act as a perfect foil for the warm tones of the Cumaru wood floor.
The client also made an interesting choice of furnishings from leading international brands, including Italian. These include chairs, soft furnishings and tables designed by Vitra, Moroso, Ligne Roset and Artemide, creations by Ettore Sottsass and Pascal Mourgue, as well as pieces by Diego Revoco, complemented by contemporary artworks and greenery by the landscape architect Olgha Wehba. The floorplan of the apartment has been changed by incorporating half of the balcony into the living room but without altering the building’s façade. Making the most of the extra space available, the living room floor surface has been extended up to the balcony door-window, while the decor has been enhanced using stunning and linear Nogueira wood panels with a fixed frame and sliding doors to provide access to the two lounges.
The beautiful natural light flooding into the interiors is enhanced by the white walls. The wood elements are very striking but what really steals the limelight is the kitchen, conceived as a kind of open box with the floors, walls and ceiling completely covered with Italian tiles displaying stunning graphic patterns in different shades of grey. The Frame Carpet collection, jointly developed by Ceramiche Refin’s DesignTaleStudio and the graphic design firm Studio FM Milano, is the absolute star of the show in the kitchen area. Diego Revollo explains: „The biggest challenge – and the most innovative idea – was to use porcelain tiles not only for the floors of the kitchen and utility room but also for the walls and the ceiling. It took a long time to devise a strong and secure solution in terms of both the type of installation and the weight of the tiles in relation to the finish of the ceiling.“ The graphic language of the Frame Carpet collection gives a distinctive character to the apartment and becomes the focal point of the entire project. With Frame Carpet tiles, the appealing patterns and finishings evoking memories of the past are transformed into a new concept of porcelain covering, envisioned as a kind of modular wallpaper.